Thread-parting mechanism for looms.



un. 7o|,93a.' Patented June 1o, |902. C. F. RDPEB.

THREAD PARTING MEcHANlsM Fon L'ooM's.

(Application'led--m 9, i902.) (up Model.) 2 sheets-sheet Patented lime I0, |902.

.c. .F. noPg. THREAD PARTING MECHANISM FOR LOUMS.

v (Applicatio'n led Jan. 9, 1902.)

(No Mdel.)

1HE Nunms uns co., Puma-mno., wAsmNsmN. a c.

UNTED STATES' PATENT EFICE CHARLES uRoPEE, oE HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNoR To DRAPER ooMPANnoE HOPE RATION oF MAINE.

DALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A ooRPo.-

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 701,938, dated June 1o, 1902.

Application filed January 9, 1902. E Serial No. 88.975. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itv known that I, CHARLES F. ROPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Thread-Parting Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representinglike parts:

This invention relates particularly to looms provided with automaticfilling-replenishing mechanism and having means for parting the thread of the filling-supply to be abandoned between the cloth and the shuttle, such a loom being shownin United States Patent No. 683,423, dated September 24, 1901. i Such parting of the thread is effected while or immediately after thefshuttle is positioned in'y the shuttle-box toy receive the fresh filling?V supply, the thread being clamped first near engage the thread, the latter must be substan the shuttle and thereafter parted between the clamp and shuttle, and while the thread is still clamped it is brought into theA range of a temple thread-cutter to be parted thereby adjacent-the edge of thecloth. In order that the parting and clamping means can properly tially taut between the cloth and' the boxed shuttle; but it sometimes happens that the shuttle will rebound slightly, thus slackening the thread and permitting it to kink ortwist out of the reach of theclamp and parting de-y vices,'so that they cannot operate properly, and the thread instead of being properly severed will break, and the broken end is apt to fiy back toward the cloth and be woven thereportion of a loom provided with automatic n filling-replenishing mechanism,taken on the 'li-ne or, Fig. 2, the thread parting and clamping mechanism of the patent referred to being also shown in normal inoperative position. Fig. 2 isl a part plan view of the mechanism Shown in Fig. l and clearly illustrating one embodiment of my present invention for clamping the thread at ythe shuttle when boxed, the same beinghidden by other parts ofthe mechanism in Fig. l. l larged front elevation of apart ofthe front wall ofrtheshuttle-box at the replenishing side of the loom, showing the device for clamping the thread at the shuttle. or plan view, also enlarged, of a part of the shuttle Vin the box, the front wall thereof being partly shown in section to more clearly illustrate the action of the clamping device.

Fig. 3 is an en-` Fig. 4 is a top Figs. 5`an-d y6 are enlarged views of opposite l sides of the thread-catcher to be described, the support for one of lithe jaws being broken out in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 1s an end view thereof looking intov the entrance end of the jaws, and Fig. 8 is a perspective detail of the entrance end of one of the jaws of the thread- A having the depending end f3 and the shaft d to be rocked in thedlirection of arrow50,-Fig. 1, when `filling replenishing is to be effected, andthe notcheddog mx, carried by the arm f3 and to be engaged bythe bunter C2 on the lay to effect change of filling, are all substantially as in the patent referred to or Uni ted States Patent No. 641,792.` The upturned arm Y, fulcrumed on the stud aon the bracket A10 and bent at its upperend-to constitute aslu-t- E tlelfeeler Y', is bodily movable laterally-on the studa, as in Patent No.' 683,423y and'l by the ymeans therein shown and described, said arm Y having a finger -nrto engageua lug/m4 on the arm 'm2, which carries the dog mx,while an arm 1112, fast onthe rock-shaft d', is held v against a pin 30 onthe arm Y by or through the action of the spring SX, Fig. 1, all as in said patent just referred to. The movable member cx, common to the thread-parter and,

thread-clamp, is mounted on the notched upper end Y of the arm Y, coperating with the fixed cutting-blade c and with the flat face of the fixed member e2 of the clamp, as in said patent, so that the filling-thread t, between the cloth and shuttle, when boxed for filling replenishing will be acted upon and first clamped by the members GX c2 and then parted by the members 0X c, the swinging movement of the arm Y, as provided for in said patent, bringing the parting and clamping devices into position to engage the th read. lay is cut away to present a shouldeil d to engage the heel c of the blade-jaw eX when the lay completes its forward beat to thus operate said blade-jaw, it beingopened thereafter by the setting-pin c, as in said patent, and while the thread is still clamped it is brought by the return of the arm Y to normal position into the range of a thread-cutting temple T, Fig. 2, which may be substantially as shown in United States Patent No. 585,465, the movable cutting member 020 thereof cooperating 4with a ixed member (not shown) to part the thread adjacent the cloth upon a subsequent forward beat of the lay.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the front wall Z110 of the shuttle-box at that end of the lay nearest the filling-feeder F is provided near its inner end with an opening Z912, the said opening receiving in it a clamping pad or presser Z913, made of felt, leather, bristles, or other suitable and preferably non-metallic material attached to the free end of a spring-arm Z911, extended longitudinally of and attached to the front Wall of the shuttle-box by suitable screws, as Z915, Fig. 3, the arm being bent inward, as at Z916, to permit the pad or presser to enter the opening Z912 and to project a slight distance beyond the inner face of the front wall Z110 when the shuttle is not in the box.

The threading device for the shuttle, which is not herein shown and which is of any suitable construction, is located at the opposite end of the shuttle from that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that when the said shuttle is boxed in readiness for iilling replenishing the threadeye will be nearest the outer end of the shuttle-box, and consequently the thread leading from the eye to the cloth will extend inward past and across the outer face of the pad Z913. When the shuttle enters the box, its side wall engages and presses the pad Z113 outward, the filling-thread, which runs along the outside of the shuttle at su'ch time, being caught or clamped between the pad and the side of the shuttle, so that if the shuttle rebounds, as it sometimes does, the thread will not be im mediately slackened, but will be held taut, retrograde movement of the shuttle having in practice no effect on the thread to loosen it or to carry it with it so long as the pad or presser acts upon the thread. By holding or clamping the thread at the shuttle in this manner when the shuttle is boxed it will be manifest that the thread cannot slacken suf- The iiciently to twist or curl, and therefore it will always be in position to be engaged by the thread-parting and thread-clamping device, hereinbefore referred to, when the same is brought into operative position by the swinging ofthe arm Y. If the thread is allowed to curl or twist, it will frequently be moved out of the way of the thread parting and clamping device, so that when the latter does move into operative position it cannot properly engage the thread and the latter will not be parted as it should'be. The yielding or spring support Z211 possesses enough elasticity to properly clamp the thread when the shuttle is boxed.

In Patent No. G83,423,hereinbefore referred to, the piece of thread which is cut out from between the shuttle and the cloth by the thread-parting device and the temple threadcutter, respectively, is caught by a threadcatcher, and it is gradually worked thereby into position to be discharged from the threadcatcher, so that it cannot be woven into the cloth, and in my present invention the threadcatcher is mounted on au upright bent arm E, fulcrumed on a stud h on the bracket A10, a spring S8 (see Fig. l) holding the arm in normal position, with a downturned stop e bearing against a fixed part of the bracket. The upper end of the arm E is provided with a rearward extension e', having longitudinally-extended raised side portions e30, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) between which the lower jaw4 of the thread-catcher is supported,said threadcatcher comprising, essentially,two elongated jawsj 7e, made of any suitable material-as, for instance, wood-and covered on their opposed faces with a rough surface material, as at jx 76X, their rear ends being smooth and highly polished and flared toward the lay, as at 75. For the roughened-part of the jaw-surface any suitable fabric may be used-such, for instance, as dog lish-skin-so arranged that the teeth or points on the opposed faces of the covering will be inclined toward the front of the loom and oppositely to each other. An upright pin e2 loosely enters a socket Zt in the bottom of the lower jaw (see Fig. 5) to permit a very slight longitudinal movement of the jaw and Valso to permit the same to tip, as it were, on the piu. The upper jaw rests upon the lower jaw and is transversely notched, as at j?, to receive loosel ya horizontal pin e3, secured to or forming a part of a bell-crank EX, fulcrumed at c1 on one side of the extension e, the bell-crank being clearly shown in Figs. (i and 7. A cotter or other pin 76, extended through the outer end of the horizontal pin c3, prevents the jawj from becoming accidentally disengaged from the said pin. The bell-crank 1 E has its outwardly-extended foot e6 provided on its inner face with a socket e7, (see dotted lines, Fig. 6,) and on its outer face the foot has a cam ledge or rib e8. The upper jaw rests by its Weight upon the top of the lower jaw 7o, and it will be manifest that ICO IIO

` a longitudinal movement of the jaw j relative to its fellow jaw. A lateral pin c".(see` dotted lines, Fig. 6,) projects into the recess e7 to support one end of a spring s60, coiled between its ends, as at s, its other and free end bearing against the top of the recess e7 and normally acting to retain the bell-crank EX in the position shown in Figs. and 6, thereby maintaining the upper jaw in its. rearmost position. The socket e7 and the spring s6. therein just described are substan, tially as in United States Patent- No. 683,423 and operate as therein described. As in said patent the arm E is so located relative to the swinging arm Y that when-the latter has returned to normal position the setting-pin c6 on the blade-jaw VcX will ride over thetopof the cam e8, depressing it and causing the bellcrank E to rock in the direction of the arrow y 85, Fig. G,v to thereby move the jaw j toward the front of the loom, so that its covered face will rub longitudinally over the opposed covered face ofthe lower jaw lo, the latter being at such time free to` tilt somewhat on its supporting-pin e2, so that a piece of thread previously engaged by the, jaws will be moved y toward the front end of the latter, theoppoyandclamp. The aringends of the jaws are made smooth, as at-.22, Fig. 8, so that there will be no accidental catching of the thread by or upon the jaws until the latter is positively moved therebetween by the retractive action of the thread-clamp upon its return to normal position, and to still further prevent any accidental entrance of the thread betweenV the jaws I- havel herein shown the raised'sides e30 as increasedin height at the rear end -of the extension e to constitute `thread-guardscio, which extend, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, beyond the contacting faces of the jaws and act to prevent accidental entrance of the thread, but readily permitting such entrance when the thread is positively moved between the jaws. The thread-guard also acts tov position the upper l jawj and preventimproperlateralmovement .6o

thereof.

I do not herein claim, broadly, a threadcatcher for the purpose hereinbefore set forth, nor do I claim as my invention the means for imparting longitudinal movementto one of the jaws of the thread-catcher.

So far asl am aware it is` broadly new to clamp or hold the thread at or against the shuttle when the latter is boxed at the filling-` rreplenishing side of theloom to maintain-the thread taut between the shuttle and-the cloth, and accordingly my present inventionis not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement herein shownand described, as

the same may be modified or rearranged without departing from the spirit and `scope of my invention. l

When the-spent lling-carrier is ejected from the shuttle, the' filling end is drawn down through the shuttle-eye, and the presser or pad serves-to guide or support theend as' Having fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by'Letters Patent, is

l. In an automatic filling-replenishingloom,y a shuttle adapted to contain a supply of ll.

ing, means to act upon the thread of the filling-supply to be abandoned and clamp it at the shuttle, and means operative upon 1je plenishment ofv filling to part the thread so clamped.

2. In an automatic filling-replenishingloom,

a shuttle adapted to containa supply of filling, means to clamp against the shuttle the thread of the` filling-supply to be abandoned, and a thread-parter operative upon replenishg ment of the filling to part they thread 'so clamped.

of the filling-supply` to be abandned,.and

means bodily movable upon replenishment of 3..-In an automatic filling-replenishing loom, a shuttle adapted to contain a supply offillv ing, means to clamp, at the shuttle, the thread.v

filling into position to successively holdl and part the thread so clamped. y

4. In an automatic filling-replenishingloom,

a shuttle adapted to contain a vsupply of filling, the lay, a shuttle-box thereon, a'clamp to automatically engage and hold the thread by or through entry of the shuttle into the box, to maintain thethread taut, and a'threadparter operative upon replenishment of fillingto part the thread while it is maintainedl taut. f

5. In-an automatic filling-replenishingloom,'

a shuttle adapted to contain a supply of filling, the lay, a shuttle-box thereon,.having an apertured front wall, a friction-clamp to IIO automatically engage the filling-thread 6. AIn an automatic illing-replenishingloom, 1

a shuttle adapted to containa supply of ll-V ing, the lay, a shuttle-box thereon, `a springcontrolled friction-pad to engage and clamp the thread against the side of the shuttle when the latter enters the box, to lmaintain the thread taut between the shuttle and the cloth, and a thread-partei movable into po- 'e 'tomes sition to part the taut thread upon filling re plenishment.

7. In an automatic iillingreplenishing loom, a shuttle adapted to contain a supply of filling, the lay, a shuttle-box thereon, having an apertured front wall, a spring-controlled friction-pad mounted on the latter and adapted to enter the aperture and clamp the thread against lthe shuttle when boxed, to maintain the thread taut, and a thread-parter to part the taut thread upon filling replenishment.

8. In an automatic filling-replenishingloom, a shuttle adapted to contain a supply of filling, the lay, a shuttle-box thereon, a springactuated device to act upon the thread of the filling-supply to be abandoned and hold it against the shuttle when the latter is boxed, to maintain the thread taut, a thread-parter and a thread-clamp, arranged in j uxtaposi-l tion and movable upon filling replenishment into position to act upon the taut thread, and means to actuate the clamp and thereafter the parter, to part the thread between the clamp and the holding device.

9. In an automatic filling-replenishingloom, a shuttle adaptedlto contain a supply of filling, the lay, a shuttle-box thereon, and means operative when the shuttle enters the box to hold the thread against the shuttle and maintain the thread taut between the shuttle and the cloth.

l0. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a shuttle adapted to contain a supply of filling, means to hold, at the shuttle, the thread of the filling-supply to be abandoned, means operative upon filling replenishment to part the thread while maintained taut, and a thread-catcher to engage the thread between the cloth and the thread-parter.

Il. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread-cutter, means to clamp the thread against the shuttle when the latter is boxed, and thereby maintain the thread taut between the shuttle and the cloth, a thread parting and clamping device operative upon filling replenishment to clamp the taut thread and part it, the return of said device to normal position carrying the thread still held thereby, into the range of the temple thread-cutter, and means to effect movement of said device into and out of operative position.

12. In a loom provided with automatic filling-replenishing mechanism, a temple threadcutter, means to act upon the thread of the filling-supply to be abandoned, to clamp and part the thread near the shuttle and thereafter to bring the thread while clamped into the :range of the temple thread-cutter, and a thread-catcher to hold the piece of filling when parted bythe latter, said th read-catcher comprising superposed jaws one of which is longitudinally movable relative to the other, means to intermittingly effect such relative movement of the jaws, the latter having roughened opposed faces and smooth, fiaring entrance ends, and a guard at the entrance of said jaws to prevent premature entrance of the thread therebetween.

13. A thread-catcher for automatic fillingreplenishing looms, comprising two superposed jaws relatively movable in the direction of their length, a support for the lower jaw upon which it can tilt, the upper jaw resting on the lower jaw, and means to effect relative longitudinal movement of the jaws.

14. In a thread-catcher for automatic filling-replenishing looms, a fixed support, a lower jaw mounted thereupon to tilt and having a roughened upper surface, an opposed upper jaw havingits under surface roughened and resting upon the lower jaw', and means to engage the upper jaw and move it longitudinally.

15. In a thread-catcher for automatic filling-replenishinglooms, a fixed support having longitudinally-extended raised sides forming a thread-guard at one end, a lower jaw mounted to tilt on said support between the raised sides thereof, an upper jaw resting on the lower jaw, and means to move said upper jaw longitudinally, the entrance ends of the jaws being flared adjacent to the thread-guard.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES I1`. ROPER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE O'ris Dnarnn, ERNEST W. Woon. 

